Patchwork Farms hotel to break ground this year

Following delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Alta Hotel in Patchwork Farms is slated to break ground in the second or third quarter of 2022, developer Chris Reebals said.

The hospitality sector was “heavily impacted” by the pandemic, and lenders wanted to see some stability before committing to projects like the Alta, but now the market seems to have stabilized, Reebals said.

“We feel good about the project,” he said.

The Alta is a “luxury” hotel concept, a $60 million investment offering 10,000 square feet of conference and event space, a spa and a “high-end” restaurant.

“Vestavia Hills really does not have a player in the portfolio that can compete with a Grand Bohemian or Valley Hotel,” Reebals said. “For Vestavia Hills to have this, it will give them a destination within city limits.”

Having the conference and event space is an added bonus, with a large amount of such space at the nearby Cahaba Grand Conference Center being lost with the Highlands College acquisition of that property, Reebals said.

Building a hotel in the area is a response to the continuing economic growth there, Reebals said. The hotel and the businesses that come with it are expected to generate well more than $2 billion in economic impact over a 10-year period, Reebals said.

“High-end” condominiums are also coming to the area as part of Reebals’ project. With the aging population in the area, it will be nice for people who want a nicer condominium, he said.

For those who live in the condos, they also will have access to the spa, pool, restaurant and coffee shop that is coming to the hotel, he said.

Reebals said the condos will start in the low $800,000 price range.

After breaking ground, construction should last about 24 months, he said.

Reebals’ group, Christopher Architecture and Interiors, is still working with the city of Vestavia Hills on a possible incentive agreement for the project.